Would you like to read a book you already know the ending of? Or would you like to do the same things with your family on every weekend? Perhaps you want things to be the same without changes in life, then you absolutely should buy Anberlin?s new album "Cities".Don?t misunderstand me here, I think Aaron Sprinkle is one of the best producers around and this album also sounds like a million bucks.Anberlin showed us on their first two albums that they just cannot fail at writing and performing luxurious emo/pop but doing the same thing over and over again kinda takes the excitement out of it all.

I think many of these songs sounds like harmless background music, the razor sharp riffs on "Dismantle repair" heats things up for a bit and the acoustic "The unwinding cable car" could end up on a future Best of collection with this band.I also happen to like songs with "Hello" in the title or in the chorus so I do like "Hello alone" a lot but songs like "Godspeed", "Adelaide" and "Inevitable" only repeats old chord changes and melodies.They don?t do anything for me, the bonus tracks are kinda cool though with a more 80?s new romantic style which could be a reason to check em up.They?re called "Uncanny", "The promise" and "There is a light" - good songs that has elements of The Smiths, believe it or not.I prefer their first album!

I got this cd a few days ago and in my opinion it is Anberlin?s best album.I love their other two cds but I think that there is more quality songs on this one and the production is superb too!! Even the bonus tracks are good but the only track that i find myself skipping over is ??Fin??.It goes on for too long and i get bored of it and skip over to the next track but I?ll give it some time to grow on me

wippsson

The thing that I like with this new album is that it?s a little bit more varied than the previous efforts. But on the other hand feels it at times a little to bit to shattering like on "The Promise" that I don?t fit here at all.
But Anberlin is a great and delivers here an album that most fans will appreciate including me. Not their best so far, but still a great album.
I think though that they have to develop their sound a little to their next one. Maybe a bigger sound, maybe more guitars, don?t know really how, but I would like some difference.
"The Unwinding Car Cable" is one of their best songs so far (if not their best??!!), a pure masterpiece.
Rating, 3 1/2, which is a GOOD rating in my opinion. I have a few 5?s in my collection like Ten with Pearl Jam, Thriller with Jackson + some more. To give it 5 stars is to say that?s one of the best in the genre all time. 3 is on melodic a "Good album" and not a poor rating.

Bryan

I am pretty surprised that this album got such a relatively poor review, especially given that this website supports this kind of music. This is a fantastic album. Does it sound like some of their previous work? Yes. Does that mean that it?s repetitive? No.
I think Kaj really misses out on the difference between all songs by a band sounding the same, on the one hand, and having a band?s songs have consistent elements that produce a consistent sound on the other. Big differences. If you played this album right after listening to their last album, would you say that the band has a consistent sound? Of course. Would you say that all their songs sound the same? No way.
This is a great album. It pushes the envelope further than anything they?ve previously done and adds some different touches and progressions. I would encourage a re-listen and a re-review in a week or so.

Paul

Okay, I hear you. I apologise for the comments regarding grammar etc. I understand that album reviews are just opinion. I guessed that you didn?t receive liner notes so that does make sense. Anyway, I stick by my vote that this is a great album. In hindsight I can probably see that I listened to Blueprints for a longer time than I will this one - even tough I do love this album. This bands rocks and I was just a bit peeved to see such a polished piece of work get only 3 stars. Rock on dudes!

Kaj

Guys, it?s ok for you to criticize my work here. I mean, I do the same thing for artists when I review their albums.
I know I?m not a pro in the English language but that?s not the point here, if people understand my reviews if the album is bad or good - then I?m satisfied.
In this case, regarding the Smith?s cover - I receive 90% advance cd?s and never really have any info more than a tracklist to go with and since I didn?t know that much about The Smiths and I really had no idea it was a cover.
So Paul if you take a close look at this album and listen to all 3 in a row starting with the first one, I think you will see that this one doesn?t match their earlier work.

Bengt

Paul, I realy dont care about grammar or spelling, as long as I understand the content in the review, or what the comments are about. I am sure you would make some errors too if you wrote half as many reviews as Kaj did, specially in a language that aren?t your mother tongue. So please keep remarks like that to yourself in the future.

Paul

Every Anberlin fan should ignore this review. Not only is it poorly written (grammar, spelling you name it) the reviewer has obviously not done any homework. Godspeed, Dismantle Repair and Fin have to be some of the best songs to come out this year so far. For the reviewer to say he likes a song because it has the words "hello in it" is almost laughable. Almost as bad as not knowing the song that sounds like The Smiths is in fact a cover version of that band?s song. If you had liner notes for the CD or bothered to read them you would have known that. Having said that, the reviewer was spot on when he said the album production was awesome - no exaggeration there. I was personally expecting big things from this CD and even with high hopes I was not disappointed. I would have give it 5 stars but for the fact that there are 1 or 2 tracks that I am not a huge fan of. I can?t wait for these guys to come back to Australia!!

Bengt

By the way, I wonder what Wippsson thinks about it?...

Bengt

Let?s focus on the songs that aren?t covers then. If this were Anberlins debut album, I would be thrilled about it, I would give them at least four stars, but let?s be honost, when we have the two previous albums in mind it?s hard to be carried away by this one. Most of the songs has kind of a b-side flavour I think, and "dismantle repair" "inevitable" and "hello alone" are the only songs that comes across as more than ok. I think it?s fair to say I feel a little cheated, because I believe they are clearly among the best emo acts out there, and I feel they can do so much better than this.

Kaj

I?m not that much of a Smiths fan so I didn?t know it was a cover....I just thought it sounded like a Smiths song :-)
I really do love lots of music from the 80?s but I haven?t heard When in Rome.

Dallas

Only 3 Stars?!
I mean I like "Never Take Friendship Personal" more than this one, but this is one damn fine record.
One of the better we?ll hear in ?07.
You know those last 2 bonus tracks are covers of 80s songs right? I mean, "There is a Light That Never goes out" probably has a Smiths feel to it because it is a cover of a Smiths song, I dig the When In Rome cover too. Just making sure, cause I know you love your 80s stuff.